A Disagreeable Experience.

While surfing across a selection of other people’s blogs at the weekend, I fell into the lair of a bunch of self-styled ‘Drink Soaked Trotskyist Popinjays For War’, who were lambasting the renowned journalist John Pilger for an article he wrote in the New Statesman.

According to these inebriated Trots, John Pilger is a “fuckwit“, and a “disgusting piece of shit” who “propagandises for (the) killing (of) Jews“. As one who has read and admired some of John Pilger’s work in the past, I had to check this out. After reading the New Statesman article in question, I found not a hint of the “Jew killing” rhetoric ascribed to Mr Pilger by these hysterical Trots. It was an article about the proposed academic boycott of Israeli Universities and how it seems to be gaining support. As far as my eyes could tell, it advocated the killing of no-one whatsoever, not Jews, not Muslims, not Christians, not capitalists, women, children, dogs, or even horses. So I decided to post a comment asking for an “example of John Pilger, or anyone from his ‘constituency’ promoting or calling for the ‘killing of jews’?” Whoops, big mistake!

Maybe I should have been alerted by the site’s name, certainly I should have been wary of expecting rational discussion or polite debate from those who title articles “Pilger – What a Fucking Twat“. But the vitriol this simple question inspired was incredible. Instead of getting a measured response to my reasonable question, I was invited to “fuck off and die“. Which I thought rather charming, don’t you?

My attempts to reply to this nastiness with some measured comments only got edited to be almost incomprehensible, or were deleted altogether. I hope I never become so intolerant of a sincerely held opinion posted on this blog that is different from my own. But then, I do not write such contentious bullshit on my blog….

Still, the whole episode made me think, if these are John Pilger’s worst and most literate enemies, he has very little to worry about. Conversely, if these are Israel’s best and loyalist friends, I think Israel is in real trouble.

Peace out.

EDIT- It should be noted that these ‘drink-soaked trotskyists’ do not reflect the opinions of other self-declared trotskyists I know. Most of which are four-square against war. Not all trotskyists are eedjits. Just most.

2 Responses to “A Disagreeable Experience.”

Er … the name is supposed to be ironic, not a statement of their political beliefs, which range from marxist left to libertarian. The name is derived from an insult levelled by George Galloway against Christopher Hitchens.

I had sort of guessed at that to be begin with, anonymous, but their intolerant rantings disabused me of that notion. If it walks like a duck etc etc.

I have to admit by being perplexed by their insults to Christopher Hitchens, when by all intents and purposes, they are espousing the same tired old nonsense. I suspected that the Hitch’ would be some kind of hero to them…?